Abstract
Purpose
To define a new parameter in CT that could make imaging of the contralateral ankle dispensable evaluating the position of the fibula after syndesmotic injury.
Methods
Thirty bilateral CTs of 30 patients were included. Five parameters were defined in axial CT for the injured (_inju) and uninjured (_unin) ankle. Reproducibility was examined for inter-observer and intra-observer reliability. Comparisons for all parameters were performed between the CT scans of both ankles.
Results
All measurements had a high agreement for the inter-observer and intra-observer correlation coefficients. A large interindividual variance could be found between all parameters. If the difference of the anterior tibiofibular distance antTFD_unin and antTFD_inju was less than 2 mm, there was a strong significant pairwise correlation between all parameters between both sides.
Conclusion
Bilateral CT is still to be recommended, as it is the only way to exactly assess anterior posterior reduction of the fibula.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and analysis were performed by Annette B. Ahrberg and Ulrich J. Spiegl. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Annette B. Ahrberg, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Ahrberg, A.B., Hennings, R., von Dercks, N. et al. Validation of a new method for evaluation of syndesmotic injuries of the ankle. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 44, 2095–2100 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-020-04631-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-020-04631-9